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Library of Congress 






Chap. 



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r^2Z)UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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A SLIGHT SOUVENIR 



OF A VISIT TO THE 






IN OCTOBER, 1881, 



ON BOARD THE 



STEAM YACHT YOSEMITE, 



AT THE INVITATION OF THE OWNER, 



Mr. WILLIAM BELDEN 



V^ . V-. . Y , 



New York, November ist, i88l. 

My Dear Mr. Beidcn : 

Having, in an ummry moment, assented to a suggeslion 
of one of the Ladies of our party to Yorktown, on your Yacht 
Yosemite, that I should give record to some of the incidents of 
our recent voyage and visit, I have attempted to fulfill my prom- 
ise, though in halting measure and with unaccustomed pen. I 
venture to send the product to you, hoping that you will accept it 
in token of my appreciation of your kindness, and hospitality, and 
that it may serve to beguile a vacant half-hour for you, self 
and for our company. 

Cordially yours, 

LUTHER N. MARSH. 
WLLLLAM B ELD EN, Esq. 




A SOUVENIR. 



October shines in sky and on the water. 
Manhattan's peerless harbor never wore 
An aspect more enchanting. Off the Battery, 
In the blue roadstead, rocks the Yacht Yosemite. 
How gracefully she rides the swelling sea, 
Casting her wavering shadow ! 



He whose command 
Evoked this naval Form from mine and field 
And forest, now, with princely courtesy, 
Receives his favored guests; amongst them, Maids 



And Matrons — a quaternion of beauty — 
At whose fairy pressure the deck might well 
A thrill of pleasure own. And though we miss 
The gende presence of the Yacht's true queen — 
Whose care maternal dares not now entrust 
The expectant life to the deceitful sea, — 
Yet take we solace from that fair similitude 
Which cheers, adorns, illumes, the gay saloon. 
The faithful anchor now gives up its hold. 
And all is ready. Now the waters part 
Before her shapely prow, and foam on either 
Side. She vindicates her right to roam the 
Deep. She overtakes the flight of swiftest steamers. 
And leaves them in her phosphorescent wake, 
With all their wondering crews. As eve wears on, 
We reach the broadening ocean, quite at sea ! 
The billows lift aloft their white-capped crests. 
But easily she mounts and conquers them. 
Within the bright saloon, luxuriously 
Equipped, are mellow songs, with hospitable 
Cheer, and pleasing courtesies. Soft fingers 
Touch the ivory keys, while from the violin, 



With masterly bow, the youthful Clarence 
Draws forth its weird and sweet cadences. 
We round the Hook and glide by Neversink, 
And down the Jersey coast she speeds. Long 

Branch 
And Elberon gleam on the eye. Now, lights 
Of warning shine on Barnegat, and from 
The jutting points of May and Henlopen. 
The Fair Ones now must needs their senses vail 
In sweet repose, and so they gently droop 
The fringes of their lovely eyes and shut 
Us out from heaven, while they fondly dream 
Of the dear ones at home. Morning beholds 
The gallant steamer plowing her certain way. 
Old Neptune, — tyrant of his azure realm — 
His trident whirls, and gentle intimation 
Gives, not to partake, too generously, 
Our Host's most bounteous board. Swiftly she courses 
By the shores of Accomac. At length, between 
The sandy Capes, which guard the entrance broad 
Of mighty Chesapeake, — Henry and Charles — 
Her course she lays along the charted current, 



8 



And, ere long, — a day from embarkation, — 
Winding 'mongst vessels dancing in the stream, 
Lets go her anchor, and her flukes strike 
Into the sacred soil of Old Dominion. 

Now have we time for our reconnoissance. 
On yonder dusty heights we see where Britain 
Relaxed her cruel grasp, laid down her arms, 
Surrendered Tarleton and her brave Cornwallts, 
And gave her Colony back to freedom. 

A century has glided by, and now, 

That great event to celebrate, and pay 

New honors to its heroes, here there come. 

From Lakes to Gulf, from sea to sea. Soldiers, 

Civilians, Sailors, men of every class, 

Cadets and Guards, Rifles and Fusileers, 

Knights Templars, Lodges, Grand Commanderies, 

And hosts of freemen from the populous North : 

And from our allied France and Germany, 

Behold descendants of our La Fayette, 

De Grasse, Boulanger, Rochambeau, Beaumont 



And others famed in history ; and of 

The sturdy Von Steubens ; names which ever 

Will command the grateful homage of America. 

And now the plain which witnessed the surrender, 

Twinkles all over with its glistening tents. 

There, Sherman, Hancock, McDowell, and Mc- 

CooK, 
And other veteran and noble chiefs, 
Marshal, in peace, their compact phalanxes 
Of Horse and Foot, Artillery and Marines. 

York, the broad estuary, mingles his waters 

Amongst the keels of many War-Ships ; — Kearsarge, 

Vessel historic, which sent the accursed 

Alabama's hulk to find the deep ooze 

Of the English Channel ; our good Flag-Ship, 

Trenton; the Vandalia, Tallapoosa, 

Alliance, Constitution, Tennessee, 

The Powhatan, Despatch, The Yantic, and 

Alarm, 
Franklin, and Saratoga, and Portsmouth ; — 



Manned by as gallant Officers and crews 

As ever tossed upon the foaming waves; 

And the French Frigates, like some fairy birds 

Floating their plumage on the enamored sea. 

Whatever other craft the shipwright's skill 

E'er launched upon the waters, here, surely. 

Might be seen : Yachts, swaying like graceful swans, 

Steamboats and Schooners, Brigs, Rams and Cutters, 

Barks and Barkantines, Tugs, Sloops and Galleons, 

Feluccas, Barges, Gondolas and Junks, 

The famous Clippers of the Chesapeake, 

Vessels of all forms, speed, magnitude, 

From stately, armored, iron Men of War, 

Down to the lightest Shallop and Canoe. 

And when the loud huzzas and volleyed roar 

Announced the coming of the President, 

The Ships' sides blazed, and Gloucester Point and 

Yorktown 
Echoed and re-echoed to each other, 
And the glad sounds rolled o'er the distant sands. 
A lively village now is seen afloat ; 



II 



And time flies swiftly in the interchange 

Of mutual and kind civilities. 

Back and forth, from ship to ship, ply well-oared 

Pinnaces, which carry glad and sportive 

Companies, and briskly weave the woof and 

Web of cherished friendships ; now to receive 

The warm and courtly greeting of the President ; 

Then to the Embassy of France, and to 

Our cousin Teutons ; now to the Generals 

In command; and then to our own Navy, 

A grateful debt of tribute to discharge. 

On their own decks and element, to those 

The Daundess Heroes of the resdess brine. 

Now comes the loud salute to England's flag ! 
And then, our banner waves its friendly courtesies. 
Well thought well done. 'Tis true, a hundred years 
And these two flags were fiercest enemies; 
And oft in deadly combat met on Lake 
And Land and Ocean. 'Twas in tliose contests 
That names immortal rose, to shine forever 
In our records, emblems undimmed^ unfading, 



»-. of Cr 



Of their courage, skill and patriotism. 

Of them, on ship, Decatur, Truxtun, Hull, 

Bainbridge, Preble, and Paul Jones, that meteor 

Of the sea, Lawrence and Rogers; Champlain's 

And Erie's victors, Perry and Macdonough ; 

And, on the land, a host so great we may 

Not pause to count. 

Nor is it easy to forget, how, in 

Our Civil strife, she gave her influence 

To our home foes; and that the Corsair's 

Crew was mustered in her ports ; but yet 

We knew that, all the while, the Queen was true, 

And, while he lived, her Royal Consort too. 

Her recent messages of condolence 

For our deep woe, have drawn all hearts to her. 

Nor this alone ; for, in anterior time, 

Were sources of mutual sympathy ; 

A common origin and history ; 

The very language that we speak, is hers; 

Her fame is ours ; part of our heritage, 

Her Historians and Philosophers ; 

Nor will we yield our right ancestral 



13 



To her long poet bead-roll ; to Shakespeare, 

Divinest Minstrel of the Centuries. 

Then, let our heaviest cannon give acclaim 

To that proud Ensign, which, like her drum-beat, 

Wakes morning echoes round the solid globe. 

Not long the sun had sunk below Dominion's 
Hills, and darkness gathered o'er the scene, 
When luminous forms of ever changing hue. 
Countless in number, shooting from Ship and Shore, 
Streamed on the night : — Aerial Shells, and 
Flight of colored Rockets, Revolving Suns, 
Chinese and Grecian Fire ; swift buzzing Wheels, 
Projectiles shedding sparks, zigzag Serpents, 
Whirring Cascades, Back-running Boomerangs, 
Tableaux, and Dahlias, and Dancing Devils, 
Saturns and Satellites, whiz, flash, explode. 
And scintillate all round. From Jib and Poop, 
To top of Royal Mast, the Ships were 
All aflame with brilliant wonders ; while every 
Spar and shroud of the good Yacht Yosemite 
Was lustrous with the blazing signs of joy. 



14 



The night was vocal, and from every^ deck 
And from the lit-up shore, the Nation's airs 
Rose in Salutes of choicest melody : 
"With those of France and Germany alternating ; 
And with the deep-felt, grand, eternal chant, 
" God Save the Queen." It was a day and night 
\Vhose grateful memory wiU never die. 

At the appointed, longed-for, solemn hour, 
Dropped slowly to its place the Comer Stone 
Of the Memorial Monument, laid there 
With mystic symbols of that brotherhood 
Which sweeps through ages from the P\Tamids. 
That massive stone was laid 'midst cannon's boom 
That shook the hills, and woke the joyous shouts 
Of that great throng. Then spoke that master 

orator,* 
Whose lips were touched w-ith holy fire, painting 
In flowing periods the scene and history : — 
The ragged, war-worn ranks of our \-ictoriou5 

* Hon. Robert Charles Winthrop, of Boston. 



15 



Continentals, cheered by their piercing fifes 
And roUing drums ; the ten full regiments 
Of France, caparisoned in shining uniforms, 
Glittering with stars, bedight with golden lilies, 
The French fleet studding the starded river ; 
The scarlet-coated Britons slow marching. 
With many sad reflections, to their hard surrender ; 
The loving league 'twixt our adopted La Fayette 
And Washington; our endless debt to France; 
The solemn, weighty duties of the hour; 
And, of the Future, the vast responsibilities; 
The essential unity of the Republic; 
Its high, ennobling mission; all these wrought 
Out in fervor, power, and beauty, by his 
Eloquent tongue. 

And many a one, no doubt, 
Did often think that, while the world around, 
Peoples and rulers mingled their deep sorrow 
With our own, at the sad, untimely loss 
Of our dear President, all must revere 
That governmental scheme which, without noise 



i6 



Or jar or jealousy, inaugurates another, 
In whom the stricken people, everywhere, 
Of whatever section, party, creed, or name, 
Their fullest trust and confidence repose. 

For the third time, this slumberous hamlet 

Has been roused and shaken by the armed tread 

Of marching squadrons, and the resounding voice 

Of hoarse artillery. For, so it chanced, 

That in itself of little worth — a sandy, 

Fruitless plain — yet, to the soldier's eye, 

It was a j)oint strategic. So, in the 

Second siege, Magruder thought when, circling 

Himself with high entrenchments, he vainly 

Hoped, with fifty thousand men, the fort 

To hold against the blue-coats of McClellan. 

But, like the march of Fate, the Union chief, 

A hundred thousand strong, pushed on the fearful 

Batteries, closer and closer, till, ere 

The cannon oped their mouths, without assault, 

The invested army silently fled. 

And left the well-protected camp to the 



17 



Besiegers. And if the soil is sacred, 
As oft was claimed, the consecration came 
From the victorious tread of \\'ashington, 
And of his band of tried and faithful heroes, 
And of the soldiers of the Civil War. 
Earnestly we hope that in the volume 
Of the Future, as yet unopened, none 
Will ever read again of hostile forces 
Arrayed, either at Yorktown, or on 
Bunker Hill, or any other spot that lies 
Under the Stripes and Stars. 

The celebration o'er, 
The town is left to its original 
And dull seclusion ; ne'er, for a hundred 
Years, perhaps, again to be the cynosure 
Of many eyes. Homeward the festive parties 
Take their way. At Norfolk glancing, we pause 
At Fort Monroe, known as the largest fortress 
Of the world's defenses, and which grimly 
Stands protector of Old Point Comfort; where, 
In the past proud days, there came the landed 



i8 



Lords, to spend the solstice in luxurious 

Ease, and quafif the tonic and kelp-perfumed air. 

In Hampton Roads the waters all were still, 

And gave no sign of that decisive day, 

When that new creature of the sea, the Monitor, 

Arrived so opportunely, that all must see 

'Tvvas led directly by the hand of Providence, 

Upon the very crisis of our fate — 

Her scarce-seen back, and unpretentious tower. 

Awakening only the smallest hope 

From friends, and but the careless jeers from foes — 

And spouting like some giant whale, stretching for 

Leagues upon the furrowed sea, quickly avenged 

The loss of Congress and the Cumberland, 

And hurled her conquering globes against and 

through 
The thickly-plated sides of that Goliah 
Of the deep, the yielding Merrimac. 

As when the small-hoofed coursers, left behind, 
Gladly again their master's manage own, 
Tremble all through Avith vigor in excess. 



19 



And, with necks clothed with thunder, speed o'er the 

ground, 
So, now, the swift Yosemite puts on her strength 
To meet and cleave the ocean breakers. Oft 
'Tis a rugged and tempestuous road : 
And when a storm brews in the east, or when 
Boreas fierce or wild Euroclydon 
Its unbarred cave escapes, then may be seen, 
Like swarming wild-fowl, darkening the air 
In flight from the surly north, hastening flocks 
Of coasters, spreading their white wings to catch 
All gales for the Delaware, to nestle 
In the lee of the great Breakwater. 
Within easy memory, the strong-built 
Rockaway, balancing on the axes 
Of the waves, broke her oak and kelsoned 
Back, to drift a hopeless and unguided wreck. 
But bravely does our noble yacht dash through 
The opposing waves ; and lo ! upon our sight 
Delighted, dawn the towers and temples 
Of our beloved New York. Hail ! glorious city, 
Holding so much we love ! — with past so rich. 



20 



And future well assured! — Welcome thy sons 
And daughters to thy breast ! 

Then to their various 
Homes the guests repair, and gladly once again 
The avocations ply of customary 
Life. It was an episode to brighten 
Forever in the memory. Oft as 
The scene recurs, there floats before the enraptured 
Gaze, to cheer our daily prose, the i)icture 
Of two most lovely girls, beaming with radiant 
Hopes, in sailor vestments clad, throughout the voyage 
The life and joy of our bright pilgrimage. 
May skies propitious shower their choicest gifts, 
And all their paths with fragrant flowers be strewn ! 

This Centennial ! Rich sign of promise, 

When the North, and South beyond the well-known 

line — 
So long a parallel of severance — 
And under the starry flag, now waving 
O'er every acre of Columbia's domain, 



And here as gladly kissed by halcyon 
Southern breezes as by cold northern blasts — 
Meet in unison to recall the time and 
Victories, when in one good cause they fought, 
And with one hope and for one destiny. 
\\''ell may it tend to cicatrize the wounds 
Of recent conflict, knit our lives together. 
And bridge the wide chasm of dissension. 

The next Centennial ! Ah ! may we, together. 
Look down upon it from some blissful seats — 
Life's errors o'er and all our sins forgiven — 
And, in the other life, dissevered not 
In our companionship, with memory clear, 
Behold the country happy, prosperous, free. 
Bound with love-cords, " one and inseparable ;" 
Whiles we rehearse, with pleasure unalloyed, 
The recollections of these charming hours. 




g¥nOSEMlTEf^' 



